Trussed brake beam with fixed head



F. W. LEWIS TRUSSED BRAKE BEAM WITH FIXED HEAD July 31, 1951 Filed May'7, 1948 FIG-.1 4.

INVENTDRZ w W m E MR L W JN N 7 F B Patented July 31, 1951 [TED STATESFATE OFFICE. V V 2562;219- v 7 TR ssED BRAK BEAMWITHFIXEDHEAD Frank W.Lewis, Chicago, 111., assignorto Chicago Railway I quipmen C mpany, ChiIll, a em -notation. of Illinois I Application May 7, 1948; Serial No.25,760

8- Claims.

1 The invention relates to rai-lway'brake beams of the truss type inwhich compression and tension "members converge near the ends ofthebeamand mount end structures for carrying brakes-hoes.

In one familiar 'formoftruss type of brake -beam,- commonly referred toas the A. .A.'R.

Standard, the head is seated on the end of a channel-shaped compressionmember and a round rod tension member extends through the head andprojects beyond the outer-side'of the 1 head. A nut is threaded on theend of the tenthrust of the head. At the inner side of the head, thetension member and compression member web-are spaced aparttransverselyof the beam a substantial distance. effective beyond thecenter line of thrust of'the The truss structure is brake head whicharrangement is conducive to the resistance'of the beam to deflectionunder load.

In another famiilar type of brake beam, commonly referred to astheHuntoon' type, the tension member of the beam engages the web of thechanneleshaped compression member adjacent the inner side of the headand inwardly of the center line of thrust of the head. A securingdevicepasses through the'head and compression and tension members on thecenter line of thrust "of the head. Since the tension member meetsthe-compression member web substantially at the inner side of'theheadythe truss structure is not 'efiective outwardly of the center lineof the head and the ultimate strength of the Huntoon type orbeamcom-posed of members of the same cross sectional area as the membersof an A. A. E.

type of beam is substantially less than the A. A. R. :type-of beam. Inthe Huntoon type beam, when load' appl e the head m y pivot. r arwardlyexcept. for the resistance of the beam members tobending, whereas in theA. A. B. type beam,

such pivoting is resisted by the end portion of thetruss structure whichcorresponds to a beam having-the depth of the truss atthe point. ofapplication of the load and is greater than the combined thickness ofthe compression and tension members.

The main object of the present invention is to increase the strength ofaHuntoon type brake beam by extending the effective truss to the end ofthe compression member and well beyond the memb'ers. turned portion 2bof the tension member and center line of thrust of the brake headsubstantiallyas inthe A. A. R. Standard type beam.

Another object is to reinforce the-trussstructure by using a fillerblock to separate and op pose thebeam members-near the ends of the beam.

These and other detail objects as .will appear below are attained by thestructure illustrated in the. accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view ofa brake, beam embodying the invention.

Figure 2. is an end view of the beam drawnnto an enlarged scale; r t

Figure 3 is a horizontal section throughthe :end ofthe beam and takenapproximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on the;line 4--4. of Figure, 3.

The brakebeam includes a compression member l of channel-shaped crosssection, a strap tension member 2 of rectangular cross section and ofsubstantially the same height as the compression member; and a strut 3intermediatethe ends of the beam. The compression and tension membersconverge. from the center of the beam towards eachend of the beam andthe tension member extends in a substantially straight line from thecenter of the beam tothe extreme ends of-the compression member and eachend portion of the tensionmember extends rearwardly, as at .Za', aroundthe associated outer edges of the'oompl'e'ssion member flanges la, andthen inwardly; as atv 212, along the'rear face of the compression memberweb lb. Compression member l,-tension member'z and'strut 3 arepositioned substantially in a horizontal plane.

A brake head-'4. is mounted on each end of the beam and includesforwardly projecting lugs 5 for mounting a brake shoe S and may includean outer extension 6 for slidably mounting the beam from an adjacentbracket (not showm'on the truck framing. Extension 6 has a wear plate Iriveted thereto. Brake head 4 has a recess 8 opening inwardlyof the beamand receiving the end portions of the tension and compression Backwall--8- of r'ecessB engages inthe recess front wall hasrearwardlyextending webs l0- engagingthe forward face of the tension member. Therecess top and bottom walls H, l2- engage the uppermost-and lowermostfaces of compression member flanges la.

At the end oithe beam; the adjacent. portions of the compression andtension members are spaced apart a substantial distance transversely ofthe. length of webs ll are inclined to one another and are seatedagainst the opposing rear face of tension member 2 and the front face"of compression member web lb, respectively. The filler block preferablyis wedged between the tension and compression members adjacent theirends by driving the block lengthwise of the beam, thereby eliminatinglooseness between the members often encountered in built-up beams.

A vertically disposed rivet l8 maintains the beam members in assemblyand extends through top and bottom walls ll, I2 of brake head recess 8,through flanges la of compression memher I, and through webs I! offiller block l3.

This construction provides a substantially straight pull by the tensionmember from the center of the beam to each extreme end of thecompression member and eliminates the tendency to straighten out thebend in the end portions of the tension member present in the olderHuntoon type beam in which the tension member meets the compressionmember web adjacent the inner side of the head and then extends parallelwith the compression member through the head.

The truss structure in the beam just described is effective to the outerend of the compression member and filler block [3 re-enforces the outerends of the truss structure so that the ultimate load-carrying capacityof the beam is increased considerably over the ordinary Huntoon type.

The details of construction may be varied otherwise than as describedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive useof those modifications coming within the scope of the claims iscontemplated.

' What is claimed is:

1. In a railway truss type brake beam, a channel-shaped compressionmember and a tension member with their adjacent end portions convergingand interengaging, a brake head having a recess to receive theassociated end portions, said tension member extending in asubstantially straight line from the center of the beam to the extremeend of the compression member and be-- ing spaced from said compressionmember flanges at the inner side of said brake head, and a filler blockreceived in said brake head recess and extending between saidcompression member flanges and seated against the forward edges of thecompression member flanges and against the tension member.

2. In a railway truss type brake beam, a chan nel-shaped compressionmember and a. tension member with their adjacent end portions convergingtransversely of the length of the beam, a brake head mounted onassociated end portions, said compression member including asubstantially vertical web and horizontal flanges extending transverselytherefrom, said tension member end portion extending around the end ofsaid compression member and along the rear face of the compressionmember web said mem- -bers being spaced apart transversely of the lengthof the beam at the inner side of said brake head, and a filler blockextending between said compression member flanges and having oifsetportions seated against the forward edges of said compression memberflanges and against said tension member.

3. In a railway truss type brake beam, a channel-shaped compressionmember. and a tension member withtheir adjacent end portions converging,said tension member extending in a substantially straight line from thecenter of the beam to the extreme end of the compression member and theend portion of the tension member extending around the end of thecompression member and along the rear face of its channel web, a fillerblock extending between the compression member flanges and having offsetportions seated against the rear face of the tension member and againstthe opposing edges of the compression member flanges, a brake headhaving a recess receiving said member end portions and said fillerblock, and a fastening device extending through said brake head,compression member and filler block and maintaining assembly of saidbrake head and said members.

4. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member with avertical web and horizontal flanges and a tension member with theiradjacent end portions converging, said tension member extending in asubstantially straight line from the center of the beam to the extremeend of the compression member and the end portion of the tension memberextending around the end of the compression member and along the rearface of its channel web, a brake head having a recess receiving saidmember end portions, said tension member extending diagonally throughthe head, there being a filler block with converging sides engaging andspacing the tension member throughout the width of the head from the webof the compression member a distance at least as great as the width ofthe compression naember flanges.

adjacent end portions converging, the tension member extending aroundthe end of the compressionmember, a wedge-shaped filler block betweenthe forwardly and rearwardly facing portions of said members near theirconverging ends, a brake head having a recess opening inwardly of thebeam and receiving the associated member end portions and filler block,and an element extending outwardly of the beam for slidably mounting thebeam from the truck frame.

6. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member, a tensionmember inclined in substantially a straight line from the center of thebeam to the extreme end of the compression member and extending aroundthe outer edge of the compression member and inwardly along the rearface of the compression member, a filler block between the portions ofsaid members spaced from the end of the beam andseated against opposingfaces of the compression and tension members and holding them spacedapart transversely of the length of the beam, a brake head having arecess opening inwardly ofthe beam and receiving the associated memberend portions and at least part of the filler block, and an elementintegral with and extending outwardly of the brake head for slidablymounting the beam from the truck frame.

7. In a railway truss type brake beam, a channel-shaped compressionmember with its flanges facing towards the front of the beam, a tensionmember, said members converging from the center of the beam towards eachend, a brake head at each end of the beam having a recess receiving theend portions of said tension and compression members, a filler blockpositioned between the flanges of the compression member adjacent theinner side of the brake head and having offset portions seated againstthe forwardly facing edges of the flanges of the compression member andagainst the opposing rear face of the tension member and thereby holdingthe engaged portions of the compression and tension members spaced aparttransversely of the length of the beam.

8. A brake beam as described in claim 7 which includes a holding elementextending vertically through'the compression member flanges and adjacentportions of the filler block to hold the block in position lengthwise ofthe beam.

FRANK W. LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

